Republicans Present School Funding Plan

Fri, 23 May 2014 06:54:00 CDTBy: IPR

While the state's budget for next year is still in flux, Republicans in the Illinois Senate say they have a new plan that would fully fund public schools. This year, Illinois is only sending schools 89 percent of the state's optimal figure. That funding gap results in local schools cutting their budgets or making it up through property taxes. Republicans say they'd prioritize this money before all other school spending, including grants for higher concentrations of poverty. Democrats, like Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, say this misses the big picture. Manar is pushing legislation to completely change how schools are funded, with a focus on poverty: